The Shunnamite Woman

The top lunette, inspired by an incident in “kings II”, shows the attic room that the Shunnamite woman set up for the prophet Elisha to use during his travels. She said to her husband:

”Behold, I now know that he is a holy man of God who passes by us regularly. Let us now make a small, walled attic and place there for him a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp..”

In the merit of her kindness, Elisha tells her that in a year “you will be embracing a son”. When the child grew up, he became ill and died. The lower part of the painting describes Elisha’s revival of the son of the Shunnamite woman:

“..he went up and lay upon the boy, placing his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, and his palms upon his palms. He stretched himself out over him, and warmed the flesh of the boy”.